Electrode holder



0. L. CALLAHAN ELECTRODE HOLDER Filid Sept. 2. 1939 June 3, 1941.

M M 3m M w, W .r r. a w 0 m QN N mJN QM @m Wm %m R awn ww AWN M w H .U H N -tfli fihm v NW 9% Gm Q Patented June 3, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ammonia HOLDER Oscar L. Callahan, West Frankfort, lll. Application September 2, 1939, Serial No. 293,271

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This invention relates to electrical appliances and, particularly, to an electrode holder.

The primary object oi the invention is to provide an implement comprising an electric conductor to which a cable can be attached and which is secured in an operating handle at one end, while its other end carries gripping members that can be opened and closed by a relative rotary motion between said members and the conductor.

A further object is to provide an implement wherein the electric conductor is insulated from the handle, the insulation interposed between the conductor and handle being securely held in place by the internal configuration of the handle. In this connection, the body of insulating material is also formed with an enlarged flange which serves as a guard or shield to protect the hand of the operator from heat that may be radiated from the electric conductor.

A still further object is to provide the implement with a handle of tubular formation through which the electric cable extends, said handle being formed with means at the entrance end which will prevent abrasion of the cable.

The electric conductor of the present implement consists of a screw-threaded member secured at one end in the handle and carrying at its opposite end clamping members or jaws. A further object provide a protective covering for the conductor member between the clamping elements and handle, this protective member being held in spaced relation to the electric conductor.

Another object is to provide the implement with clamping jaws adapted to receive not only the member to be clamped, such as an electrode, but also adapted to receive, at their inner ends, a second member, to facilitate manipulation of the implement in opening and closing the clamping members or jaws.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangement of parts, all as will hereinafter be more 11111! described, and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present implement, portions of the tubular handle and electric conductor shield being broken away to facilitate illustration of the interior of these elements; and

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The present implement comprises an electrical conductor or member l0 secured at one end within a tubular handle II. The end of conductor l0 within the handle is provided with a socket l2 or other means for attaching to the conductor an electric cable (not shown) which extends through the handle from the opposite end of the latter. To prevent the end of the handle having an abrasive action on the cable, this end of the handle is turned inwardly upon itself. as at II, to provide a rounded surface ll against which the cable will contact. Cutting or abrading of the cable by this end of the handle is, in this fashion, eliminated.

To properly insulate conductor member I'll from the handle II, a body of electrical insulation is interposed between said two elements. Preferably, an annular body of insulating material I! is secured in position between member II and handle H by means of an inwardly extending flange It at the end of the handle and a circumferentially extending swaged portion ll adjacent said flange. Thus, the insulation i5 is firmly secured between the flange l6 and the rib formed interiorly of the handle by swaging. In order that the operator's hand grasping the handle II will be protected from heat radiated from conductor ill, a disc l8 of insulation is provided at the end of the handle and constitutes a guard or shield. To further secure this disc-like body of insulating material It in place, the same is clamped against the end flange it of the handle by a nut IS, a washer 20 preferably being interposed between the nut and the shield II. For purposes which will presently appear, the conductor I0 is threaded so that, 'as will be apparent, the nut can be screwed up on the conductor l0 so as to firmly clamp the washer 22 and shield it against the handle.

At the outer extremity of the conductor it, there are a pair of clamping members or jaws 2 I, 22, one of which is threaded on the conductor. The other jaw is pivoted on the first-mentioned jaw and is provided with an abutment 23 against which the end of the conductor may impinge, so that, when a relative rotary motion is imparted to the jaws and conductor in the proper direction, the conductor will be forced against the abutment 23 and rock the pivoted jaw so as to close the jaws together. In the present instance, jaw 22 is provided with a tubular extension 24 threaded on conductor Ill and jaw 2| is formed with the abutment 23, the two jaws being pivotally secured together by a pivot pin 25 extending through jaw 22 and said abutment 23. Thus,

conductor can be forced against abutment 23 to rock jaw 2| toward jaw 22.

The present implement might be said, broadly.

to constitute a clamping terminal for an electrical conductor, but it has primarily been designed for use in connection with electrodes. For this reason, one of the jaws, jaw 22 in the present instance, is provided with an irregular clamping face, said i'ace being irregular in that intermediate its ends it is provided with a raised portion 26, thus forming a depression 21 at the forward, or outer, end of the jaw and a second depression 28 at the inner extremity of that jaw. The surface of the jaw constituting depression 28 is inclined outwardly and the maximum depth of this depression is somewhat greater than that of depression 21, so that, in any given position of jaw 2i, the space between the jaws will be slightly greater at their inner ends than at their outer ends. This being true, a second or new rod or electrode can be placed between the jaws at their inner ends or in the depression 28, while the rod or electrode being operated upon or with is firmly clamped between the jaws in the depression 21. Thus, with two rods or electrodes positioned between the jaws, the rod or electrode at the inner ends of the jaws in depression 2'8 can be used as a lever or support for facilitating rotation of the conductor I to release the jaws and free the rod or electrode previously held in the depression 21. This permits the stub of a consumed rod or electrode to be quickly ejected and a new one inserted between the jaws.

In the event the implement is to be used for the purpose of attaching the cable to a second cable, the latter can be inserted between the jaws in the depression 28 and, due to the inclination of the surface of said depression, so that the space between the jaws converges outwardly, any pull or strain on the implement will increase the pressure with which the object between the jaws i gripped by the latter, so that the implement and object are more firmly secured together by any such strains.

As previously described, one of the jaws, jaw 22 in the present instance, is formed with a tubular extension 24 surrounding the conductor I0. This tubular extension 24 and nut l9 at the opposite end of the threaded portion of the conductor are utilized, in the present instance, for supporting a tubular shield 29 surrounding, but held in radially spaced relation to the conductor ID. -The shield 29 is not rigidly attached, so as not to interfere with movement of the jaws axially of the conductor. Thus, the shield 29 and the guard l8 constitute ample means for protecting the hand of the operator from heat generated from the use of the tool.

The present implement is of comparatively simple design but is highly eflicient in use. The operator is amply protected and the peculiar configuration of the space between the jaws is such that, as pointed out, two rods or electrodes can be received between the jaws at the same time. Also, the ability to use one rod or electrode between the jaws as a lever or support for the implement facilitates removal of a previously;

used rod or electrode from the forward portions of the jaws preparatory to substitution of a new rod or electrode.

What I claim is:

1. In a clamping terminal for electrical conductors, a tubular handle portion, a threaded electrical conductor secured in one end of said handle. a body of electrical insulating material interposed between the handle and conductor, a disc of insulating material projecting radially beyond the handle, a nut on said conductor securing said disc against the handle, clamping elements operable by relative rotary motion of the same and said conductor, and a tubular shield surrounding said conductor between the handle and clamping elements, said shield being supported in spaced relation to said conductor by said nut and one of said clamping elements.

2. In a clamping terminal for electrical conductors, a handle, a threaded conductor secured therein, a body of insulating material interposed between said handle and conductor, a nut on said conductor clamping the body of insulation against the handle, a pair of clamping jaws, one of said jaws having an extension threaded on said conductor, and a shield for said conductor supported on said nut and jaw extension in spaced relation to said conductor.

3. In a clamping terminal for electrical conductors comprising a pair of opposed clamping jaws and means for forcing said jaws toward each other, the opposed face of one jaw having depressions adjacent its inner and outer extremities with the inner depression of greater depth than the outer depression.

4. In a clamping terminal for electrical conductors comprising a threaded conductor and a pair of opposed clamping jaws carried thereby and movable toward each other by relative rotary motion of said conductor and jaws, the opposed surfaces of the jaws being irregularly spaced from each other. at their inner and outer extremities with the maximum spacing being at their inner extremities.

5. In a clamping terminal for electrical conductors comprising a threaded conductor and a pair of opposed clamping jaws carried thereby and movable toward each other by relative rotary motion of said conductor and jaws, the opposed surfaces of the jaws being irregularly spaced from each other at their inner and outer extremities with the maximum spacing being at their inner extremities, and with the space at said inner extremities tapering longitudinally and outwardly of said jaws.

6. In a clamping terminal for electrical conductors, a tubular handle having a circumferentially disposed indentation therein adjacent one end and having an inwardly extending flange at said end spaced longitudinally from,v said indentation, an electrical conductor element projecting from said end of the handle, and a body of electrical insulation interposed between said element and handle, said insulation being secured within the handle between said indentations and flange and a disc-like member of insulating material projecting radially beyond said end of the handle.

7. In a clamping terminal for electrical conductors, a tubular handle indented adjacent one end to form an internal rib and having said end turned radially inward to form a flange spaced from said rib, a threaded conductor extending into said handle, a body of electrical insulation secured within the handle between said rib and flange and a disc of insulating material projecting radially beyond said end of the handle, and a. nut threaded on said conductor and clamping said disc of insulating material against the inturned end flange of the handle.

OSCAR L. CALLAHAN. 

